253,000 civilians have returned to Mosul, Iraqi minister says

August 2, 2017Comments Off on 253,000 civilians have returned to Mosul, Iraqi minister says

Iraq’s Minister of Displacement and Migration Jassim Mohammed al-Jaaf says more than 250,000 internally displaced persons have returned to their homes in Mosul.

This comes after government forces, backed by allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, retook the strategic northern city from Daesh terrorists last month.

Jaff said on Wednesday that the number has reached 253,000, stressing that his ministry is working on faster return of displaced families to their hometowns, English-language online newspaper Iraqi News reported.

On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory over Daesh extremists in Mosul, which served as the terrorists’ main urban stronghold in the conflict-ridden Arab country.

An estimated 862,000 people had initially been displaced from Mosul ever since the battle to retake the city began eight months ago.